Senate OKs bills extending validity of 2019 nat’l budget

MANILA – The Senate has unanimously approved on second reading the measure that would extend the validity of the unspent money under the 2019 national budget until next year.


Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said that his colleagues have unanimously voted the one year extension of the validity of some portion of this year’s budget, which was only signed on April 15.


“As of Sept. 30 this year, a little more than P261 billion of the people’s money – that has already been programmed but has yet to be released – could lapse if our bill does not pass muster,” Angara said.


“By the time the GAA was signed, the election ban on construction of infrastructure projects also kicked in, “so in effect, for six months we were operating on a reenacted budget,” added the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance.

Angara further explained: “Wala tayong bagong budget kaya yung mga bagong proyekto, hindi naumpisahan. That’s why we want to extend ‘yung validity nung 2019 budget,”
President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 91 or the implementation of the cash-based budgeting system, provides that appropriations for capital outlay and maintenance and other operating expenses for 2019 “shall be valid for obligation until Dec. 31, 2019.


This means that all unutilized appropriations for 2019 will lapse and revert to the National Treasury unless Congress authorizes the extension of its validity and availability./PN

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